Teaching With Documents:
Migration North to Alaska
The Cancelled Check and Receipt
The first settlers to Alaska migrated from Asia thousands of years ago across a land bridge that existed where the Bering Strait is located today. The Russians claimed Alaska from the late 1700s until 1867, when the United States and Russia signed this treaty. It resulted in Alaska's transfer to a territory of the United States.
The check was issued August 1, 1868, and made payable to the Russian Minister to the United States, Edouard de Stoeckl. The receipt indicates that de Stoeckel accepted full payment on behalf of the Emperor of Russia at the U.S. Treasury Department, Washington, DC.
Can you think of other land purchase treaties that prompted migration?
The Documents
Alaska Purchase Canceled Check
Click to Enlarge
View Back of Check
National Archives and Records Administration
Settled Miscellaneous Treasury Accounts
Records of the Accounting Officers
of the Department of the Treasury
Record Group 217
Alaska Purchase Receipt
Click to Enlarge
National Archives and Records Administration
Warrants
Records of the Accounting Officers
of the Department of the Treasury
Record Group 217
Migration North to Alaska Main Page
- The Alaska Purchase Treaty
- The Cancelled Check and Receipt
- The Gold Rush
- Natural Resources